2025-03-05 16:09:16Li Jie was stunned by the loud shout. However, he did not realize that the threat was directed at him. He still had his face lifted, though he was no longer looking at the beautiful girl who had just arrived.
Bang!
"Are you deaf!?" the soldier shouted again while slamming the table where Li Jie and Mei Lian were seated.
Li Jie stared sharply at the soldier for a moment. But then he lowered his gaze, not wanting to cause trouble in the dining hall.
The beautiful girl, dressed in luxurious noble attire, glanced briefly at Li Jie. Although she admired his handsome face, her admiration quickly faded when she noticed his tattered clothing. Without further thought, she continued walking up the stairs.
"This is the first and last warning. If you dare look at Princess Yuan Li again, I will make you blind forever!"
After delivering both a warning and a threat, the soldier finally followed the beautiful girl named Yuan Li.
"Why are you frowning like that?" Li Jie asked.
"You’re so clueless, Li Jie!" Mei Lian huffed in annoyance.
"I don’t understand what you mean."
"Never mind. Forget it," the beautiful girl replied, feeling jealous of how Li Jie had been staring at Yuan Li nonstop since the noble girl entered the dining hall, accompanied by three soldiers.
Li Jie scratched his head, though it wasn’t itchy. He was still confused by Mei Lian's sudden attitude.
Not long after, their ordered meals were served on the table. The serving girl who brought the food stole a long glance at Li Jie, and Mei Lian accidentally noticed it. Her jealousy flared up even more, though she managed to suppress it.
"Please enjoy your meal, Sir," the serving girl said, flashing the sweetest smile she could muster to attract Li Jie's attention.
"Thank you," Li Jie replied flatly, without looking at her. His mind was still occupied with Mei Lian's behavior earlier.
The serving girl turned away in irritation, disappointed that her smile received no reaction from the handsome young man.
A moment later, a young man with a noble appearance and considerable charm entered the dining hall, escorted by four soldiers.
Li Jie and Mei Lian paid no attention to their arrival, too busy enjoying their meals.
Bang!
Once again, the table where Li Jie and Mei Lian sat was slammed—this time by one of the soldiers escorting the young nobleman.
Li Jie was startled by the sudden impact. He was so shocked that the food he was about to swallow ended up being spat out.
The handsome young man immediately stood up, ready to settle the matter with the soldiers. His eyes locked sharply onto the five men standing beside his table.
"Why did you slam my table!?" Li Jie asked angrily.
Not wanting Li Jie to get involved in a fight, Mei Lian quickly grabbed his hand to calm him down.
"Don't you know that Prince Wang Wei is standing right in front of you!?" the soldier snapped.
"So what? I didn't get in your way. If you want to pass, just pass. Why do you have to slam my table?" Li Jie replied, ignoring Mei Lian, who had been urging him to back down.
"Are you unaware of the long-standing unwritten rule here? Whenever a noble passes by, all activities must stop to pay respect to them!"
"How would I know? This is my first time visiting this village. And honestly, that rule is ridiculous. A noble should be respected because they understand, empathize, and provide solutions to the people's problems—not because they instill fear!" Li Jie retorted. He already had a secret plan in mind if Emperor Li Wei acknowledged him as his grandson.
"You still dare to argue! Aren’t you afraid of being punished by Prince Wang Wei!?"
"Please forgive my husband, Prince. He is just stubborn like this. For this time, please forgive him. He won’t do it again," Mei Lian suddenly interrupted.
Prince Wang Wei, who had been silently listening to the argument, turned his gaze toward Mei Lian with lustful eyes. However, since he needed to meet Princess Yuan Li immediately, he simply nodded.
"I will let it slide this time. Teach your husband some manners and respect toward nobles," Prince Wang Wei said.
"Thank you, Prince," Mei Lian replied, though deep inside, she felt disgusted by the way Prince Wang Wei was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her.
Prince Wang Wei nodded again before motioning for his four soldiers to continue moving.
The other diners could only sigh at the young man's foolishness. But what puzzled them was that it was highly unusual for Prince Wang Wei to let someone go unpunished for not showing him respect.
"Why didn’t the Prince punish that young man?" one of the soldiers asked after they reached the upper floor.
Prince Wang Wei halted his steps. "You all saw how beautiful that girl was, didn’t you?"
The four soldiers nodded in unison. It seemed they already understood their prince's intentions.
"Keep an eye on them and find out where they’re staying. Then, kidnap the girl. I want to feel that alluring body of hers."
"Understood, Prince. Leave it to us. If necessary, we’ll kill her husband so he won’t be a problem later."
"Hahaha… That’s why you’re my personal guards. You already know exactly what to do," Prince Wang Wei said with a satisfied grin.
After that, he resumed walking, his smile widening as he spotted Princess Yuan Li waiting for him.
"Where have you been? Don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you!?" Princess Yuan Li snapped.
"Forgive me, my beautiful Princess. There was a slight issue downstairs with some young man," Prince Wang Wei replied.
"The one sitting at the table near the stairs?"
"You know him, Princess?"
"Are you trying to insult me? Why would I ever associate with a lowly person like him!?" Princess Yuan Li scoffed.
"I didn’t mean to offend you, Princess. But if you don’t know him, how did you notice him?"
Princess Yuan Li huffed in irritation. "I had a little issue with him earlier. He dared to look at my beautiful face. To me, that’s an insult! My beauty is not for the eyes of someone as lowly as him!"
"Don’t worry, Princess. My guards will teach that man a lesson soone nough. But tell me, why did you summon me here?"
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The Liberation of the Captives
The two warriors emerged from Aji’s chambers after a brief but deliberate council, their minds set on a single purpose: to find where King Surajaya indulged his vile appetites. It seemed unthinkable that he would sully his own private quarters with such depravity—thus, they knew they must search the palace’s lesser-known halls and hidden chambers for the place where he kept his victims.For what felt like hours, they wandered the labyrinthine corridors of the palace, their footsteps silent against the cold marble floors. Torches cast dancing shadows across walls adorned with tapestries depicting the glory of Kalingga’s past—scenes of heroes and dragons that now felt like bitter mockeries of the realm’s current corruption. At last, their path led them to a section of the palace they had rarely traversed, where a heavy wooden door stood flanked by guards.Fifteen soldiers were posted there, their backs straight and their hands resting on their sword hilts—far more than would ever be ass
The Princess’s Blessing
A flicker of sheer astonishment crossed Aji’s countenance, and in that very instant, his gaze locked with that of the Princess. The radiant maiden bowed her head low, her delicate features shadowed by a profound sense of shame—for the deeds of her father weighed heavy upon her heart like a boulder cast into still waters.“Your Highness,” Aji ventured, his voice carrying the quiet curiosity of one who sought to pierce the veil of mystery surrounding her thoughts, “what manner of vision has visited you in your dreams?”Princess Larasati closed her eyes, and a long, labored breath escaped her roseate lips. The weight of his question pressed upon her soul with such force that words themselves seemed to wither on her tongue. For deep within her heart lay a fear so potent it threatened to unmoor her resolve: that Aji might be the very figure fate had ordained to bring about her father’s end.Yet she knew, too, that her father’s unseemly conduct could not be allowed to persist unchecked. Onl
Breaking the Curse
“Aji…?” Jaya whispered to himself, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes narrowed to slits, as if trying to pierce through the half-light of the corridor and the veil of his own disbelief. The figure seated at the desk ahead was bent low over a scattering of parchments, their shoulders hunched in concentration—but even from this distance, there was something familiar in the set of their spine, the way their fingers moved across the pages as if tracing words they knew by heart.Still uncertain, Jaya took slow, deliberate steps forward, his boots making no sound against the polished marble floor. The palace corridors were quiet at this hour, save for the distant tread of guards and the soft crackle of torches mounted on the walls. Each step brought him closer, and with every pace, the truth of what he saw became harder to deny.“Aji…” he called out softly, his voice carrying just far enough to reach the seated man when he was barely five meters away.The figure lifted their head t
Entering the Palace
After riding for what felt like hours through the winding paths of the forest, they at last reached their destination—a structure of considerable size, its stone walls weathered by time and gnawed at by countless generations of termites. Thickets of thorny brush clawed at its foundations, while vines as thick as a man’s arm crept across its facade, draping the windows and doorways in a tangled curtain of green. Moss grew in dark patches across the crumbling mortar, and the air around it carried the scent of damp earth and decay—a smell that spoke of long years of abandonment.Setiaji’s face broke into a warm smile as he looked upon the building. “A most remarkable hiding place,” he said, his voice echoing softly in the quiet of the woods. “No soul in all Kalingga would ever suspect that human hands dwell within these walls. The very appearance of it repels all who might draw near—they see only ruin, not refuge.”“Let the exterior remain as it is,” Jaya replied, his eyes sweeping over
The Disguise
“Can it truly be so—that great beast is Lord Jaya?” Setiaji asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, his face etched with a disbelief so profound it seemed carved from stone. Even as he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the tiger, watching as it paced slowly before the line of royal soldiers, its massive head tilted as if assessing each man with cold, calculating intelligence.Ratih offered him a small, reassuring smile, the corners of her lips curving gently despite the tension that hung heavy in the air. “If you do not believe me, Uncle, watch closely. The tiger will not raise a claw against us—not now, nor ever. Its fury is reserved solely for those who would hunt us down.”The certainty in her gaze was unshakable, like a beacon cutting through the fog of his doubt. Taking a slow, steady breath, Setiaji felt the tight knot of anxiety in his chest begin to loosen. He turned to his companions, who stood clustered together with weapons still raised, their faces pale with fear and
The Aid of Jaya
In the blink of an eye, Setiaji’s company scattered like leaves before a gale. Each member moved with silent purpose, their eyes scanning the forest floor and canopy for trees thick enough to shield their forms, or undergrowth dense enough to swallow them whole. The ancient woods of Kalingga were vast and wild, and in its depths, even a band of men could vanish like smoke if they knew where to hide.Setiaji himself, alongside Ratih, slipped behind a massive thicket of thorny brush—its branches woven so tightly together that not even a shaft of sunlight could pierce through to the ground below. From their concealed vantage, they peered out between the leaves, their gazes fixed on the direction from which Setiaji had sensed approaching hoofbeats. He had guessed correctly that these riders belonged to the royal forces of Kalingga, and now every muscle in his body was coiled tight as a spring.The mounted company—some fifteen strong, their armor gleaming like polished silver beneath the d
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